HORSES FROM IRELAND

Otago Daily Times, Issue 22833, 18 March 1936, Page 10

HORSES FROM IRELAND

DEALER’S CUSTOMS OFFENCES Fines totalling £4BOO, with 20 guineas costs, were imposed by Lord Ebbisham at the Mansion House, London, on Stanley George Barton, of Williamstrip Farm, Coin St. Aldwyn, Gloucestershire, for Customs offences relating to horses imported from the Irish Free State. Barton pleaded guilty to 16 summonses, eight charging him with making false Customs declarations as to the prices paid by him for horses and eight with being concerned in fraudulent attempts at evasion of duties. Mr B. M. Stephenson, prosecuting, said that in December Customs officers called at Barton’s farm, and as a result of what they found from his books he was cautioned. “ I have been purchasing horses from the Irish Free State,” the defendant said, “ for the past 20 years at least. When I heard that a duty was to be put on these horses I had a discussion at Waterford with Mr W. Murphy, from whom I buy, and decided that I should have to under-value. “ I should have been unable to make any profit at all had I declared the true values. I much regret that I have made these false declarations.” Mr Colin Duncan, defending, said that the 40 per cent, duty made things very difficult for men in this business, some of whom found it impossible to carry on if they declared the prices they actually paid. The. penalties in these cases were colossal.